Portland parted ways with head coach Terry Porter, the school announced Friday.
Assistant coach Ben Johnson will take over on an interim basis for the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign.
"I would like to thank coach Porter for his service to the university," Scott Leykam, Portland's vice president for athletics, said in a statement. "The timing of these changes is never ideal, especially with all the disruptions this season that have been brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Ultimately, it was decided that it was best to move forward now and focus on the future of the program and the search for the next head coach."
The Pilots went 43-103 during Porter's five-year tenure, including a disastrous 7-69 mark in WCC play.
Portland is 6-11 on the season and winless in eight conference games.
Porter played 17 seasons in the NBA, starring for the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1980s and '90s. He was a two-time All-Star and had his No. 30 retired by the club in 2008.
